Sunday, June 05, 2005

Roskilde Vineyard Church News and Prayer Needs

Solvej and David Allen, who minister at Roskilde Vineyard Christian Fellowship, need our prayers. Solvej writes the following:

"At the end of June we will be targeting the Roskilde Festival for "Servant Evangelism" and distribution of hundreds of copies of the Street Bible (the whole of the New Testament text is in the middle and garnished with real-life testimonies and poetry at the front and back, making it easier for young people to read through the entire New Testament) in Danish, Swedish and German. It is estimated that 90,000 young people from all over Europe attend this Woodstock-type gathering. So far it looks as though just our church will be doing the outreach together with the Bible for the Nations team from Sweden, but we are hoping that other churches will come alongside us. We will also be offering free boot washes if it is rainy and muddy, and handing out cold juice tetrapacks if the weather is hot. It should be fun, but we need all the prayer we can get. [Note: We at Roskilde Vineyard are the Servant Evangelism 'freaks', an evangelistic strategy that we developed and have been working with ever since we planted the church. "Bible for the Nations" is a Swedish mission organization that prints and distributes New Testaments to different target groups. The Roskilde Festival will be the first time the Swedish group has become involved in our Servant Evangelism strategy.]

"The last several months have been scary for us as both Dave and I suddenly found ourselves without secular employment. God came through just as we were going from severance pay to the much lower unemployment insurance, and the church is not yet able to provide us with financial support (we are already supporting our young worship pastor on a part-time basis). The only jobs we could get were full-time for both of us, unfortunately, so pastoring and working full time is going to be tricky. Thus far I (Solvej) have only worked part-time and have been able to do a lot of the daily ministry to people. We have had some good families come alongside us and we no longer have to do everything on our own, so we are thankful to God.

"But we are of good courage. A few people are getting saved through our bimonthly servant evangelism outreaches, and my little meticulously kept log book shows that our attendance is up 40% over last spring. That's not a very statistically valid percentage when we are still below 50, but we are optimists!

"Prayer makes such a tangible difference, and I am grateful also that God has sent a lady to our fellowship with a call to minister through intercessory prayer. We have great prayer times together. I don't mind making coffee and dragging chairs and doing a lot of the other stuff, but through prayer it is so important to have that spiritual power, as David of old, to 'slay ten thousand' (1 Sam. 18:7)! " Roskilde Vineyard home page: www.rosvineyard.dk

PRAY that during the Roskilde Festival to be held at the end of this month the joint evangelistic outreach and distribution of The Street Bible by the Roskilde Vineyard Christian Fellowship and the Swedish Bible for the Nations team will be the means of introducing many young people to Jesus Christ.

PRAY for more churches to join forces during the Festival outreach with the Roskilde Vineyard and the Swedish Bible for the Nations team.

PRAY that the Lord will help David and Solvej Allen prioritize right up until the time is right for one of them to cut back on their secular employment. They want to be good shepherds of the flock and expand their tentposts of ministry, but at the same time need to support themselves by "making tents" (as did the Apostle Paul).

PRAY for the new house group that is starting this fall in the university dorm where the Allens have been washing windows and where a couple of people have come to faith in Christ.

PRAY also for the Roskilde Vineyard's youth house group under the leadership of Adam, the Allen's 18-year-old son. Adam is also substituting for the worship pastor and his wife who are going through the experience of having their first baby. Adam and two other 18-year-olds will be renting the whole middle floor apartment of the Allens' large home so they can form a good "hang-out" base for the youth group.

PRAISE God for the coming to the Roskilde Vineyard of a lady who's focus of ministry is intercessory prayer.